Sleepless Love
by QueenOfTheUniverse
Summary: Nick is having trouble sleeping so instead he remembers the happiest moments of his life. Complete and total romantic fluff! No angst, I promise! NG


CSI: Sleepless Love

A/N: Just a sweet one shot I came up with the other day. Hope you like it! Just so you know the quote that Greg mentions actually came from Roswell, though I've forgotten whether it was Michael or Max who said it. And the lyrics belong to Toby Keith's "You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like That".

* * *

Unable to sleep, Nick lay in bed thinking over the past few months. Everything had happened so quickly. The city was cutting back on everyone's pay check, no matter who they were or what they did. Because they could no longer make the payments on it, he and Greg were forced to sell the beautiful house they'd just bought together and move into this dump.

A hose broke in the washing machine the day before, flooding the wash room and the laundry was piling up. The toaster shorted out that morning and burned his toast to a crisp. And he dared not think about the livingroom wall that had to be replaced or part of the kitchen floor that was missing from some mishap of the last tenets. Everything that could go wrong had. He sighed, and wrapped his arms around his sleeping lover, holding him close and doing his best not to wake him.

Wanting to forget where they were and what they were going through, just so he could get some much needed rest before work, he thought back to happier times, back to that fateful Christmas party several years ago...

_It was Christmas Eve and the entire graveyard shift had to work that night and through the holiday the next morning. However, they'd been granted a three hour window at midnight in which to celebrate and pass gifts around if they chose to do so. _

_An hour into the party and everyone was up and dancing to the holiday music Greg was playing on his CD player from his days in the DNA lab. It seemed as if all the lab techs and CSIs had already paired off with a partner. Nick sat on a folding chair, sipping a glass of Coke, wishing he didn't have to work so it could be alcohol instead. He watched all the happy couples dancing to the happy music. Sara had finally convinced Grissom that they shouldn't be hiding their relationship anymore. Catherine had dragged a recently divorced Warrick out to the center of the floor and he even had a brilliant smile on his face. Bobby was as close to Lee, the new lab tech, as he could possibly get. Henry had hesitantly asked Mandy to dance and Wendy was with Archie, though she'd had a hard time convincing him because he'd been in a heated debate with Hodges over something Star Trek related. The only three not dancing were Nick, Hodges, and Greg. Hodges was sitting on the other side of the room sulking, because no one wanted to hang out with him, apparently, and Greg was playing DJ for the night as he stood close to the CD player and the stacks of CDs he'd brought with him. Nick sat between them, though he was much closer to Greg. He could almost understand how Hodges felt since he had no one to dance with either. _

_He was hoping to set a plan in motion to end this night in someone's arms, namely the man playing DJ, but he didn't know if his plan would work. When he'd come in he'd brought his own CD. It had one song on it, and it wasn't labeled, so when Greg played it, if he ever found it in his high stack, he wouldn't know what it was. It wasn't a Christmas song, but if his plan worked out, it would fit the moment well. Though chances were, he'd have to get Greg away from the CD player and put the song on himself. What were the chances Greg would play an unknown CD?_

"_Hey you," Greg finally sat down beside him, nudging him in the ribs. "I've got some free time since I keyed up the next few songs. Wanna dance?"_

_Nick whipped his head around and stared, unable to form words in his mouth and spit them out. _

"_It's ok, you know. You don't have to. But I was just thinking everyone else is busy, they don't look like they'll part ways any time soon and you look just as bored as I feel watching them have fun without us. Why can't we join in?"_

"_Um... cause normal guys don't do that sorta thing, G?" Nick finally said. _

"_I watched this show once and one of the characters said 'there is no such thing as normal'. Besides, if two straight girls can do it, why can't we?"_

_Yes, he wanted this. He wanted this soooo bad. He thought his head was going to start spinning. But, at the same time, he was holding back. And he didn't know why. _

_Out of the corner of his eye he saw Hodges get up and walk out of the party, back to his lab to get work done. _

"_Just friends, Nick. That's all I'm saying. And it's a fast song. It'll be cool. Look, they're all so into each other they'll never notice us out there."_

_Nick sighed, trying to stay calm. He wanted this. He really wanted this. So why was it so hard when it was right there for the taking? _

"_Only if I lead," he finally relented. _

_He thought Greg would just laugh at his poor joke but he didn't. With a straight face Greg stood up and held out his hand. Nick took it in his own, feeling the smoothness of his skin against his own. Greg's fingers were long, perfect for playing the piano, or even more perfect for wrapping them around Nick's hand, holding it tight. He was glad Greg had a good grip on him because he could already feel his knees going weak. He was almost glad the song was a fast one because no one would suspect his crush as easily, as they danced to the music in a friendly manner. Nick held his hand up, and Greg ducked under their arms, smiling. But Nick had to admit that a slower song would have to come along soon, because if this continued he'd be needing some support to help hold him up. _

_His heart was beginning to pound when the music suddenly changed to a slow song, giving him exactly what he wanted. He felt Greg's arms snake around his waist, holding him together, making sure he wouldn't fall over in his haze and the pounding of his heart. And then the words to the song smacked him in the face:_

I got a funny feeling  
The moment that your lips touched mine  
Something shot right through me  
My heart skipped a beat in time  
_He looked up at Greg, looked into his beautiful brown eyes so deep that if they were real pools, whales could have swam happily in them. His dancing partner smiled. _

"_So, this is what you slipped into the stack, huh?"_

"_You...you..." Nick couldn't finish his sentence as he stood, frozen on the floor, too afraid of what Greg would say if he knew the truth, never mind everyone else in the room._

"_Yeah, I saw you stick it in there. I'm not blind to you, Nick."_

"_You're not?"_

"_No."_

_Greg wasn't dancing either. His arms were still around Nick, and he was standing so close, so, agonizingly close. Nick wondered if he would ever be able to breath again. _

"_I can't stand up..." Nick breathed, feeling himself weaken under Greg's gaze even more. _

"_I've got you. You're not gonna fall."_

_Greg held him even tighter, ensuring that he would stay upright and not become a fool in front of the entire graveyard shift. Nick found he couldn't move his eyes away from Greg's, no matter how hard he tried. He was lost in those deep brown pools, drowning in them, and he couldn't even scream for help. Didn't want to because he was right where he'd always wanted to be. _

You shouldn't kiss me like this  
Unless you mean it like that  
Cause I'll just close my eyes  
And I won't know where I'm at  
We'll get lost on this dance floor  
Spinnin' around  
And around  
And around  
And around  
_"Does it bother you that I'm standing this close to you?" Greg asked. _

"_Yes," Nick managed to choke out. _

"_What if I did this?"_

_And then Greg did the unthinkable. Reaching up he breathed life back into Nick as his warm, moist lips brushed against his. Having lost control of his body to Greg many moments ago, Nick's eyes closed and he savored the feel of Greg's soft lips giving him a deep kiss. He saw no end in sight for the passionate kiss his dance partner was bestowing upon him, nor did he want one. His head, was indeed, beginning to spin and he felt like he was in heaven, feeling Greg's hands on his back, still holding him up. He was transported to a place where no one else was around to see them. This was the alcohol he'd needed earlier. _

They're all watchin' us now  
They think we're falling in love  
They'd never believe we're just friends  
When you kiss me like this  
I think you mean it like that  
If you do baby kiss me again

_And then it was over just as soon as it had begun. Greg's lips left his and he struggled to breath and gain his voice back as Greg's eyes searched his face for some hint of an emotion toward what had just happened. _

"_Not even two straight girls who are best friends kiss like that, G," he finally said. _

"_I didn't mean that as just a best friend," Greg whispered. "And you're the one who picked the song. You wanted me to find it. Me. No one else. The only thing is, no one else is watching us, so that part's wrong. But that's a good thing. They haven't even noticed that the music changed from Christmas rock to country and I'm the DJ. That doesn't normally happen, but for you, I'll make an exception, at least this once."_

"_Someone once told me there's no such thing as normal." _

_Nick smiled a wide smile for the first time that night. One of Greg's hands came up and rested on his cheek. He could feel a slight trembling in the other man's fingers and wondered if he was just as nervous as he was, even if he looked cool and calm on the surface._

"_I've always wondered what it would be like to do this with you. I just never pictured a crowd around us our first time."_

"_You did?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Then you'd better kiss me again."_

Oh, love was sweet. Especially when you knew it was with just the right person. Nick blinked his eyes, coming out of the memory and realized he was still awake. His usual trick of using a memory to lull his mind to sleep had failed. He burrowed his face deeper into the back of Greg's neck, enjoying the faint smell of coffee and aftershave. On most nights, that alone, would be enough to make him fall asleep, but not tonight.

Nick smiled at the sight of his goofy partner standing in an inch of water in his mind and tried not to laugh. He'd had such a cute expression on his face like he had no clue what had happened all of a sudden as he stood there with a pair of jeans in one hand and dirty boxers in the other. He'd been so concerned when he heard the noise, but when he saw Greg, he just fell deeper in love with the sweet maniac and the broken washing machine didn't mean a single thing.

And then he remembered why he was so tired and why he really needed sleep now. The day before, with black out curtains finally in place on their temporary bedroom windows, he'd been sound asleep when a loud thud followed by quiet cursing had woken him up. He was startled to find the other side of the bed completely empty and Greg's voice coming from the floor. Upon looking over the edge of the bed in the dark he could just barely make out Greg's form tangled in the electrical wires they'd had no choice but to crisscross across the room in order to plug them in. Greg had managed to unplug several wires when he fell, two of which went to the only lights in the room. Amid his laughter, he tried to help Greg up but had wound up on the floor, partly beside Greg and partly on top of him. Just how they'd ended up making out on the floor tangled in electrical wires, Nick hadn't a clue. But it had been hot, romantic, and sweet just the same.

And then he remembered that very morning before he'd left work Greg had told him to wait fifteen minutes and he would take a cab home. Nick had tried to protest, but Greg had insisted...

_Upon entering the temporary house at the requested time he'd been blown away. Greg had artfully tacked a deep red silk sheet from their bed to the livingroom wall so the damaged portion that needed replacing couldn't be seen anymore. The furniture and boxes had all been moved out of the way, leaving the center of the floor empty and millions of candles lit around the room. In one corner, sitting on a box they had yet to unpack, was Greg's CD player and a stack of CDs. Beside the player stood Greg dressed in his best suit and tie and his favorite dress shoes. _

"_Greg, what is all this...?" Nick was nearly speechless. _

"_Shhhh, I just wanted to replay one of my best memories with you." Greg hit play. "But I was hoping we could maybe kick it up a notch this time since we already know how this goes."_

_Toby Keith's "You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like That" began to play at the same moment Nick felt tears prick at his eyes. Greg calmly walked over, took his field kit out of his hand and set it on the floor by the door. He unzipped his jacket and pulled it off as he pulled him toward the center of the room. _

"_You remember that night?" Greg asked, wrapping his arms around Nick as they began to sway to the music. _

"_Which one was your favorite?" Nick leaned his head against the side of Greg's. _

_He was so touched, the feeling was overwhelming. He was usually the romantic one, but on occasion, Greg showed a whole different side no one else ever saw. _

"_Both."_

_Nick choked, trying to keep his sudden tears at bay. "They were the two scariest nights of my life," Nick admitted. I mean, the first time, I didn't know how you were going to react. The second..." Nick paused for a moment. "That was the night you became mine forever, and I was so afraid something was going to happen to take you away from me before I got to say 'I do'. And then before I knew it we were on the dance floor and you'd asked the DJ to play this song. I thought you'd forgotten... and you hadn't, and I really thought I was gonna burst into tears right there in front of everyone."_

"_Hey, hon, shhhh. You never had anything to worry about. I was always yours from the moment I first saw you."_

_Nick laughed. "I'm getting emotional over a song! Look at my sad life!"_

"_I heard this song on the radio the other day," Greg spoke softly. "You'd left the radio on in the car and I didn't realize it, and this song had just started to play. And I... I... I just sat there, and listened to it, remembering those times. Our first dance and the wedding reception. You remember Warrick thought it was the wrong song to play and you, you were the one who told him, finally, that he'd been there at our first dance, to this song, and he hadn't even realized it?"_

"_Yeah," Nick laughed out loud. "Yeah, the look on his face was priceless, he was so confused."_

"_Well, by the time the song had ended and another one had started, you know, on the radio in the car, I had tears running down my face and I just couldn't make them stop. It made me realize just how happy I am, right here, with you. I just hope I realize this many times in our future because it was a wonderful feeling. It is a wonderful feeling. And I want to feel it over and over and over again."_

"_I think I know what you mean," Nick said, pulling Greg closer._

_They were silent for a long time as the song finished and the CD player switched to another one of Nick's favorites. Together they lazily circled the room, Nick's chin resting on Greg's shoulder. What he loved about Greg was that he could be a total goof ball one minute and completely romantic the next. _

"_Hey, honey?"_

"_Mmm?"_

"_I like what you did with the red sheet on the wall, and I was thinking... when we get a real house, you know, when we can afford something nice again, like that perfect one we had for a month, I'd like to paint the bedroom in that same color. What do you think?"_

"_I would love to paint the bedroom that color, Nicky. But you're wrong about the house. This is the perfect house." Greg stopped moving and pulled away from Nick, taking his face in his hands and looking deep into his eyes. "It doesn't matter where we are, honey. As long as we're together, I'll always be happy." Greg leaned in for a deep, soul filling kiss. "I love you that much."_

Searching in the dark Nick saw the blown out night light they'd only just gotten to keep Greg from tripping over the wires crisscrossing the floor again. At least none of the outlets had emitted sparks to set the tiny tinder box they were living in on fire... yet. Nick sighed and then smiled as he whispered "You're right and you always were. It doesn't matter where we are. As long as we're together, I'll always be happy."

In his sleep, Greg turned over to face Nick, holding his arms close to his chest as if he were cold. Nick pulled him closer, wrapping his arms a little more tightly around him before placing a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"I love you that much."

* * *

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